Separate Ways
"Absolutely not!" Cried Tenor. The large brown and broad shouldered stallion heaved his breaths as he stared down at the opposite end of the dinner table. With nostrils flared, and his brow furrowed, Tenor slammed his hooves onto the surface of the table, knocking down some of the food and drinks that had once sat before the three other members of his family. His chair toppled over from his sudden jump to his hind legs. The sound of scratching wood, joined by clashing utensils and plates added extra emphasis to his statement.
The dining room fell quiet as a heavy tension lingered in the air. Two of the three mares sat there in silence. Crescendo, wife to Tenor, hung her head low, allowing her frail, dull blue hair to cover her once glistening emerald green eyes.
She hunched herself over clenching tightly to the blanket that was draped over her back, trying to retain any heat her body had left to give.
"Are you just going to sit there?!" Octavia questioned her motionless mother. Octavia had taken the same position as her father who stood at the opposite end of the table. Her hooves were planted on either side, whilst she stood upon her hind legs, "Answer me!"
"Don't you dare talk to her that way!" Tenor slammed his right hoof onto the table once more, knocking his glass to its side, letting the water drain from its body onto the table. The instant slam caused both Octavia and Crescendo to shudder, but Octavia regain her stance after a brief moment.
The grey mare continued to look between her two parents, thinking of what to say next. As she continued her gaze, she could feel something nudging her left hoof. Glancing over for a quick second she could see her sister, Fiddlesticks, with her hoof on hers. Her head was hung a tad low as she glared as her sister. Her eyes barely visible thanks to her signature Stetson hat covering most of them. But even with the obscured vision of her sister's face, she could see the streaks of tears making their way to the base of her chin.
Ever since they were fillies, Octavia and Fiddlesticks had always shared a special bond with one another. The two could hold entire conversations between themselves in a matter of a second, just by sharing looks to each other.
When their inner conversation finished, Fi took her hoof off of Octavia's, letting it slip back down below the white cloth of the dinner table.
Tavi stood there for a few moments more before returning a glare to her father, who was still in a fit of rage. His chest had now begun to prod outwards. The two brown ponies studied each other for a bit more before Octavia broke the silence by speaking.
"Stubborn old man..." Octavia deadpanned to her father as she took her forelegs off of the table and proceeded to make her exit out of the dining room, and eventually the house.
"Selfish bitch!" Tenor yelled back at her, throwing his glass in the direction that she had stood in just moments before, shattering it instantly as it made contact with the wall.
Octavia's only response was a loud slamming of the farm house's front door. The vibrations from Octavia's slam knocked a portrait or two from the walls, sending the another wave of shattering glass, echoing throughout the house.
The room was quiet again, excluding Tenor's strained and heavy breathing. He looked at the archway of the dining room that lead out to the living room for a while longer, as if expecting Octavia to walk back in. When he was certain that she wasn't coming back, he ran a forceful hoof through his mane, kicking the toppled chair further away in the process.
Looking down at the chair, facing away from his family, he muttered a number of curses under his breath. Slowly his rage subsided and he could feel the pair of eyes from behind him, watching him. Turning around he could see his daughter and wife, both with expressions on their faces displaying how uneasy they were. Crescendo even showed a tint of fear.
Tenor hung his head in shame for a moment before raising his head back up to look at his family, "Sorry. Looks like I ruined dinner. Again..." He said before making his exit through the second archway of the dining room, punching its side before finally disappearing to another location of the house.
Without a single word, Crescendo lifted herself up from her seat and started picking up the dishes and utensils that had fallen to the floor. Fi sat up from her seat and walked to the opposite side of the table, where her mother was on her knees picking up the scraps of dinner.
Placing a hoof on her mothers shoulder, she spoke, "Don't burden yourself with this mah, I'll take care of the mess." She finished the statement by hooking her hoof under her moms foreleg, lifting her up from the floor.
"I'm fine, I can handle this." Crescendo tried to reassure her daughter, shrugging her daughters assistance off.
"No. Not another word, I won't be hearing any of it. You go march yourself back up to bed right now, you need your rest." Fi gave her mom a stern tone.
"Don't baby me, I'm fine. Truly I a-" Crescendo couldn't finish her sentence as a barrage of coughs busted out from her.
Crescendo fell to all fours this time, barely able to keep herself up from the weight of her own being. Her coughs got worse and worse. She tried to stop her fit as Fiddlesticks looked on helplessly at her mother, a look a concern within her eyes. The coughing stopped when Crescendo spat up a small puddle of blood, staining to wooden floor below.
Fiddlesticks eyes went wide at the sight of the crimson liquid. Ashamed of her state, Crescendo quickly wiped her mouth, then the floor with the blanket that was still draped over her back, as if trying to conceal how sick she had become over these months from her daughter.
"I'm fine, just let me finish this and I'll go to-" Fiddlesticks cut her mother off again as she grabbed her by both shoulders and forced her to look eye to eye with her.
"Bed. Now." Fi demanded this time. Looking away from her oldest daughter, Crescendo let her eyes swell up with tears. She felt so exposed and ashamed as she was looked at.
With a slight and reluctant nod, Crescendo gulped down and agreed with Fiddlesticks, and proceeded to head to bed, with assistance.
The two walked side by side together up the worn staircase of the farm house. The elder of the two leaned on her daughters shoulder for additional support. With each step she took, a creak of her aching bones could be heard, accompanied with a grunt of displeasure. Fiddlesticks just looked on at her exhausted and pain stricken mother, careful to study any and all of her actions in case she needed to catch her mom suddenly.
The two reached the stairs with little to no easy. Crescendo struggled to catch her breath at the base of the stairs. A light wheezing could be heard emanating from her as she struggled with each strained breath. After a few moments, she gave a nod and a smile to her daughter, signaling the go ahead. Fiddlesticks returned the gesture and continued to guide her down the dimly lit hallway to her room at the end of it.
Turning the rusted doorknob, Fiddlesticks kicked it open gently as to not take support away from her mother. Flicking the lights of the room on, the two made their way to the neatly made bed in the middle of the room.
The room was covered on each wall with a baby blue pastel wallpaper, the floorboards looked as if they were ready to snap with each step someone would take on them thanks to years of termite wear. In the far right corner of the room, a work desk clouded with dust could be seen with a pile of papers that seemed to be stacked a mile high, leaning slightly as they laid there.
Above the fresh white clothed bed, hung a portrait of Crescendo and Tenor from their wedding day. Crescendo was dressed in a typical white laced gown, her eyes filling up with tears of joy as she looked onto the cameraman, posing for the snapshot. Tenor just stood there, a small smile cracking on his lips as he tucked one of his hooves into his black and white tuxedo.
Every time Fiddlesticks would come into their room, she would marvel at how happy they looked back then, at that moment it seemed - it seemed like everything was right with their world, but she would quickly snap herself back into reality, remembering the true state of things. With her mom, a withering mare with her youth still with her, but her ability and drive to live quickly fading. Tenor on the other hoof had become distant and easily agitated, no doubt trying to space himself from the foreseeable outcome of his wife, attempting to soften the blow for when 'it' does happen.
Hunching over, Crescendo placed her back end onto the bed, moving the sheets to the side. Once safely on the bed, Fiddlesticks let go of her mother and reached for a orange bottle that sat on the nightstand next to the bed, filled with little blue pills that looks like pebbles. Popping the white lid off of the bottle, she poured two of the blue pills into her hoof and snapped the bottle shut once more.
Giving the two pills to her mom, Fiddlesticks reached for the glass that had been filled with water and placed next to the orange bottle. Accepting both items from her daughter, Crescendo placed both pills in her mouth before taking a swig of water and handing the now half-emptied glass back to her daughter.
With the medicine downed, Crescendo leaned back into bed and Fiddlesticks begun to tuck her in tightly. As she looked upon her daughter, she gave her a small smile at her actions.
"What?" Fi took a glance at her mothers face as she continued to tuck the sheets into the mattress.
"Oh nothing. It's just - it seems just like yesterday I was doing this for you." Crescendo popped a hoof from under the covers and lifted the shaky limb to her daughters face, wiping a few strand hairs away from her eyes, finally placing it on her cheek.
Fiddlesticks closed her eyes, leaning into her moms hoof before letting out a sigh, "You really ought not be saying such things mah. You know it hurts to hear you speak such words."
"Oh? Am I not allowed to remember happy times in my life?"
"No, no. You know I don't mean that. It's just - when you talk like that, it seems like yah..." Fiddlesticks cut herself, leaning slightly away from the hoof on her cheek.
"Like I've given up?" Crescendo finished her daughters sentence.
"Yeah..." She admitted. Fiddlesticks started blankly at the side of the bed before continuing, "You get plenty of rest now. I don't want you staying up past your bed time again."
"My my. So assertive with rules, you're going to make a great mother some day." Crescendo patted her cheek a couple of times before letting it drop to her side.
Not sure how to respond to that statement, Fiddlesticks simply leaned down and pecked her mother forehead before lifting herself back up to head out of the room. As she started to exit the room, she turned off the light and gave one last glance to her mother. Her eyelids were closed and a peaceful smile were crossed on her lips. Without another word Fiddlesticks slowly and quietly closed the door to the room and started down the hallway, heading back to the dining room to clean up the mess her father and sister had made at dinner.
A few months ago Crescendo had grown ill. At first everypony thought it was just a flu or a virus, the cure, plenty of bed rest followed by a large helping of fluids. But after a couple weeks, Crescendo's condition grew worse, it had become clear that this was no simple ailment. Sensing something was wrong, Tenor took her into town, a few miles away from the farm house to see a doctor.
While at the doctors office, Tenor held onto hope that this was just a simple bug, that his wife will be spick and span after a prescription or two, but when the doctor came back with the analysis, his world nearly shattered. After multiple tests and examinations, they had determined that she had a malignant brain tumor. At best they gave her a month, maybe two tops. That was about one year ago.
Ever since that day, the family had done anything and everything that they could do in order to treat her. Although the farm sold profitable crops each season, it wasn't going to be able to support the family in addition to Crescendo's medical bills. Tenor took out a second mortgage on the farm, received countless donations from the rest of the Apple family, selling off over half their worldly possessions, and even tried renting out some of the spare rooms in the house. But there never seemed to be enough bits. Every month, new bills would appear and every month, morale dropped a little more.
Fi took a heavy sigh as she placed the final dishes into the soapy water she had filled the sink with. She wiped the sweat from her brow before searching the depths or the murky liquid, finding the sponge to clean the stained dishes.
Occupying her mind, Fi looked out of the kitchen window, staring mindlessly at the family's barn. It's once bold red colors have become faded as the paint started to chip away. Some of the planks had started to stray themselves from the structure of the building as hay laid scattered all around it. With the way things were lately, any tender love and care that the barn needed was redirected elsewhere, although the barn definitely could use some.
Squinting her eyes through the glare of the now setting sun, Fiddle could make out a small glimmer of light emanating through the barns upper level doors. A lantern had been lit up top.
Placing the final dish on the drying rack that was placed beside the sink, Fi grabbed a nearby rag and dried her hooves off before making her way outside. The young farm mare was graced by a summer breeze blowing by as she stepped down the wooden porch of the farm house. A quiet serenity over took her as the day was slowly becoming night, with just slivers of sunlight escaping through the lush green hillsides to the middle of the valley. The stars had already begun to show through the natural cyan blue sky, shining down upon the earth below.
The grass swayed along with the breezes that would blow through, tickling Fi's hooves ever so slightly as she walked to the structure ahead, until she reached its base. Placing a hoof on the right side of the barns main entrance, she pushed the large door open just enough to make her way in. Once inside, she could hear the delightful melodies of her sister playing on her life's calling, the cello. The walls of the wooden structure gave the instrument excellent acoustics, allowing any and all sounds to boom into all listeners ears, giving it a crisp and clear tone.
Looking around, she could see Octavia was not on the bottom level, but rather on the upper one, hiding no less. Strolling down the open middle of the barn, Fiddlesticks reached the ladder that would lead her upstairs. Placing hoof on it she readied herself to climb up but stopped herself when she noticed that the support beam that stood next to the ladder was marred in blood. Following the dripping trail of the beam, Fi could see a couple of droplets on the hay below, aswell as a few stains on the ladder.
Giving a slight head shake of disapproval, Fi made her way up the ladder, quietly. Once she reached the top, she could see Octavia finishing up her piece. Her right hoof bandaged with white linen from the emergency case the barn had in it. A red stain could be seen seeping its way through the poorly woven bandages.
Octavia sat upon a stack of hay, her cello between her legs, angled towards her. The lantern light Fiddlesticks had seen from the kitchen hung from a rope that hung from the ceiling, gently swaying back and forth. The upper level doors, usually used for easy access of heavy objects that were to be stored within the barn, had been opened to allow some cool air to roll in and replace the typical humid, and stuffy air that the barn usually retained within itself.
That and Octavia always loved the view this time of day, constantly slipping away from the rest of the family just to see it. Although it was a mystery to where she would head of to, to Tenor and Crescendo, Fi knew exactly where her younger sister was. She knew because when she was younger, this was her spot to relax and escape it all, to take a moment to breath and take it all in. To be at peace.
One night Octavia had found where she would go to hide, and soon after, Fiddlestick's spot became Octavia's.
When the piece was completely finished, Octavia hung her head and let out a long sigh. Letting her presence be known, Fi spoke up, "Keep punchin' beams like that, you'll have a career in boxing some day."
Octavia's body stiffened right back up as she jerked her damaged hoof away from Fiddlesticks eyes. She glanced over her shoulder to see her sister, but refused to look at her. Rather she looked at the ground in shame.
"What do you want?" Octavia said in an annoyed tone.
"To talk," Fiddlesticks made her way over to Octavia's side, taking a seat on another stack of hay. "seems like the right thing to do after all."
"I ain't got nothing to say." Octavia replied, shifting her damaged hoof again, trying to avoid her sisters vision.
"Oh really? Sure seemed like ya'll had a whole hell of a lot to say at dinner, or did I just imagine that?" Sarcasm was abundant in her voice.
"I've already said mah piece, I ain't got nothing more to say, not to ya, not to ma, and not to pa." Octavia snapped back to her sister.
Giving a frown, Fi leaned forward to her sister, "May I?" She asked extending her hooves to her sister. Reluctantly Octavia extended her bleeding hoof. Tenderly, Fiddlesticks took a hold of it and gave it a quick once over. Once she had inspected it, she gave the hoof a quick jab with her own.
Retracting her hoof and hissing at her sister, Octavia cried, "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"
"That's for back-sassing me." Fiddlesticks leaned back on the hay stack and looked out into the open range of the farm. Adjusting her hat, the farm mare scratched the tip of her head thinking of what to say next. Giving a sigh she turned back to Octavia who was still rubbing her stinging hoof. "So ya'll wanna leave huh?"
"Yeah..."
"And?"
"And what?"
"What's your plan? You're barely able to walk on your own hooves, and you want to leave the nest already? Head off to big name city like Fillydelphia or Canterlot? Well those cities aint so nice, especially to naïve fillies like yourself." Fiddlesticks prodded the air, pointing towards Octavia.
"I'm eighteen Fi! I'm old enough to make my own damned decisions!"
"And end up on the streets? No home, no money, no family to lean back on? Then what?"
"I'm not this helpless filly that needs to be babysat on you know. I can take care of myself!" Octavia huffed at Fiddlesticks.
Fi looked over at her sister for a moment before relaxing back in the hay. She realized she may have been a bit forceful with her little sister. In order to get anywhere with this little 'chat' they were having, she would need to use honey instead of vinegar.
"I just worry is all." Fi admitted.
"Well I don't need you to worry, I can handle myself just fine." Octavia still held some anger in her voice.
An awkward silence fell upon the two mares as both of the shifted in their seats, taking turns staring out into the pastures.
Fi took it upon herself to break the silence again, "You know pa loves ya, right?" Octavia turned her head to face her sister again. "That he wants to see you succeed, and be happy in your life... Right?"
"He has one hell of a funny way of showing that..." Octavia caressed her damaged hoof some more. "Why would he say no? I mean I have a chance, a real shot to get out of this place. A chance to be somepony, somepony important! That didn't die in the same damn town she was born in."
"I understand all that, believe me I do. It's not every day some big shot extends ya an offer to join in a professional orchestra, especially for someone as young as yourself. Hell, I'll even admit I'm a bit jealous of ya." Fiddlesticks allowed a playful tone to enter her voice to lighten the mood.
"Then why wont he let me go to Canterlot?" Octavia asked.
"Well, I don't rightly know. I mean, I understand why he wont. We need your help with the farm after all. Me and pa can't exactly handle each crop by ourselves ya know."
"Yeah... But this can open up so many doors for us! With the money I'd be making, I'd be able to triple how much money comes our way. You and pa wouldn't have to do another chore in your life. And just think of ma, her medical bills would all be covered, she could get better, right?"
"Yeah, but supposing things go wrong. Where would you be?"
"Whatcha mean?"
"I mean, if you cant hash it out with those professional players, then what? You'd have to come home and we would have to pay your way back. And all that time that you would have put into becoming a profession player would have been wasted. And the time that we would have needed you back here would be lost as well." Fi sat up for a moment before taking a seat beside he sister, wrapping a hoof around Octavia's neck. "Don't get me wrong. I want you to succeed. I want you to live your life to the fullest, I truly and honestly do. But we have to put our lives on hold for now and do what's best for ma."
"That not fair..." Octavia muttered under her breath.
"I know, but it's not her fault, nor mine, nor pa's. But that's life. You gotta make sacrifices, especially for the ones you love." Fiddle gave a couple of pats to Octavia's back. "Just be patient, in time, when ma's better and things are a bit more stable, you'll be able to find your own way."
With that Fiddlesticks stood up and started to head down the ladder, stopping just as her head was about to disappear beneath the second level floor.
"I'm gonna head in now, you coming with?"
Octavia glanced over her shoulder before looking back out at the fields. "Nah. I'm gonna stay out here for a bit."
"Take your time. Oh and Tavi." Octavia turned around to her sister. "Remember, we all love you, and we all want you to be happy. Never forget that." Octavia gave a nod in response and with that Fiddlesticks headed back to the farmhouse.
~~~~
The morning sun had begun to rise over the hills that surrounded the Apple family farm, alighting anything within its path. The morning dew glistened in the sunlight as the ball of light continued to rise higher and higher into the sky. Leaves fell from the now browning trees, carried by the breeze that rolled by, littering the farm's ground with a multicolor layer of red, brown and yellow.
A morning chill crept into Fiddlesticks room through the cracked window she had left open last night to bring fresh air into her room. The chill ran up her spine, sending a shiver throughout her body, forcing her from her slumber.
"Damn these cold mornings." She muttered under her breath.
Smacking her lips a few times, Fi threw her sheets from on top of her over to the side. Rubbing her throbbing head, she groggily made her way to her bedrooms door, but stopped when she saw something attached to it. Dragging her hoof across her face, Fi let it slump down before lifting it back up to grab the paper off of her door.
She blinked a couple of times, clearing the morning dew from her eyes before trying to focus on the folded sheet. Looking on the front, then flipping around to the back, she could see no writing or markings on it.
Unfolding the sheet, she gave a couple more blinks to focus her sight. There was writing throughout the page, Fiddle began to read it to herself.
Dear Fi,
I didn't want to do this. Not to any of you. To up and leave without a proper goodbye, but lets be honest, I wasn't going to be able to leave if I did this properly. Not you, not Pa and although Ma wouldn't say a word, I know she too wouldn't want me to leave. But this is a once in a lifetime chance, to change not only my life, but all of our lives! I can make the money we need, for Ma's medical bills, our debt, and then some!
I suspect by the time you read this, I'll be halfway to Canterlot, via train. I have my bags, my cello, and some spare bits I had left over from helping Pa with the bills. I'll do the best I can with what I have, but I can't just sit around while Ma gets sicker by the day.
I hope you realize I do this with the purest of intentions. This is not for me, but for her. While I'm gone, make sure both you and Pa take extra good care of her. When I receive my first paycheck, I'll be sure to send you all that I can to help.
I just need to find my own way.
Love, Octavia
Fiddlesticks hooves grew heavy. She let them collapse to her side, dropping the note in the process. Mindlessly, she walked to her rooms window and peered through it. She saw the dirt path that lead out from the farm house to the edge of their property. She couldn't make out any hoofprints through the scattered pebbles on the pathway.
As she continued to stare at the pathway, she could hear a loud bang within the house causing the young farm mares ear's to perk up. There was no doubt within Fiddlesticks mind, that was the front door of the farmhouse closing. Within moment she could see Octavia start down the dirt path from the house, a couple of bags in hoof while her cello laid upon her back. Instantly Fiddlesticks jerked herself from her window, and bolted out of her room, leaving a trail of dust in her wake as she turned the corner of the hallway, zipping down the stairs.
Almost slamming her body into the wooden door of the house, she swung it wide open and took a few steps out before stopping at the porch. Octavia was staring back at her. Her eye's wide and her mouth agape as she looked upon her sister who was catching her breath.
Kicking the door shut with her hind leg, Fi started to walk towards her younger sister. "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?! Running off like this!"
When Fiddlesticks finally reached her sister, she greeted her with a swift hoof to the face.
"And how dare you don't say goodbye to us!" Fiddlesticks voice was overwhelmed with rage as she looked upon her sister that now laid down on the ground.
"I'm sorry..." Octavia mumbled as she attempted to get herself up from the ground, her eye's refusing to make contact with her sisters. Once up she turned around and started back on her path.
"You're sorry?! Is that all you have to say for yourself? You're sorry... Oh and I suppose I'll just tell our heartbroken mother when she hears the news that one of her daughters left her in her time of need that she's 'sorry'." Fi cried.
Octavia hung hear head, halting her progression. "Say what you want, doesn't make a difference to me."
Fiddlesticks was about to unleash another wave of scorn before she was taken aback by her sister's words. "What?"
"Say what you want." Octavia turned around, to her sister. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled to keep confidence within her shaky voice. "Because no matter what I say, no matter how I feel, you want listen. So go on, tell her I'm leaving, hell tell Pa too. But you are not going to stop me from leaving." Octavia planted a hoof firmly on the path below. "I have what it takes to make it in Canterlot, I have what it takes to make it big, to make money. Do you honestly think if I were to stay here that Ma would get better? We can barely make ends meet with all the help we've been getting and you just want me to stay the course and hold out hope while we watch her slowly die right before our eyes?!"
"Tav- That's not - I mean-" Fiddlesticks struggled to find any words in response to her sisters passionate words.
"Save it Fi. I'm going to Canterlot, today. And I'm going to make the money we need." Octavia turned back around and started back up the path. "Say what you want to them. Say I abandoned them in their time of need, that I'm a cold heartless mare that only cares about her own success. I don't care."
Fiddlesticks watched as her sister walked further and further away. She didn't know what to say to her in order to make her stop. In the heat of the moment she uttered a phrase that she would regret for the rest of her life. Lowing her stetson to cover her face, she spoke, "Pa was right, you are an selfish bitch..."
Fiddlesticks heart stopped for a second as she saw Octavia stop suddenly. She had thought her words were spoken at a low enough volume for them not to be heard, she was wrong. Octavia gave a quick glance over her shoulder, her mouth opened as if she was going to speak but closed soon after as she began up the path once more.
Fi looked upon her sister as she walked further and further away until she was just a speck and nothing more. Hanging her head in shame at her words she muttered under her breath, "Damn it Tavi..."
